Australia agrees to support China's WTO entry bid

Asian Economic News, June 7, 1999

BEIJING, May 31 Kyodo

Australia has agreed to support China's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Australian Embassy in Beijing said Monday.

Australia is satisfied with market-opening measures in agricultural and industrial products and services that China agreed to during Trade Minister Tim Fischer's visit to Beijing on May 16-18, the embassy said in a press statement.

"I hope that China will be able to quickly resolve outstanding issues with other key WTO members so that it can enter the WTO later this year," Fischer said in the statement.

Australia agreed to Chinese concessions in a number of agricultural areas, wine, automobiles and auto products, and such services as banking, insurance and accounting, and distribution, Fischer said.

China wants to enter the WTO before the next round of global trade talks in 2000, but deteriorated political relations between China and the United States have dimmed entrance prospects for this year.

It earlier said NATO's May 7 bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, which killed three Chinese journalists and injured more than 20 other Chinese, spoiled the "atmosphere" of WTO talks between China and the U.S. China has since said its anger over the bombing has not dampened its aspiration to join the WTO.